My First Fusion 360 Design: The LEGO-Style Brick 11/6/24

Today I completed my very first Fusion 360 tutorial, and I’m thrilled to share the result a simple LEGO-inspired brick model. This exercise walked me through core CAD tools and gave me a taste of what 3D design feels like in a professional environment.

Once the main block was formed, I turned my attention to the signature studs on top. I sketched a single 5 mm-diameter circle on the brick’s top face and extruded it upward by 4 mm. Instead of repeating that step eight times, I leveraged the Rectangular Pattern feature to clone the stud into two rows of four. This parametric approach meant that if I ever wanted to change the stud size or spacing, every stud would update automatically.

To give the brick a polished, realistic feel, I finished with a 0.5 mm fillet on the top edges. The subtle bevel softened the corners and made the model look more like the plastic bricks we know from childhood. Along the way, I also picked up essential navigation shortcuts and learned to orbit, pan, and zoom the viewport without getting lost small victories that make modeling smoother and more intuitive.

That said, it wasn’t all seamless. I initially struggled to center the stud pattern correctly until I discovered how construction lines and midpoint constraints can anchor sketches. Next time, I’ll start by drawing reference axes in my sketch to avoid any alignment headaches. I’m also eager to explore mirror patterns and perhaps even design a mini-figure torso to accompany my brick.

This LEGO-style brick marks just the beginning of my CAD journey.

Join the Conversation

This brick model is just the beginning. If you’ve tried Fusion 360, what tricks helped you nail your first pattern or fillet? Drop a comment below with tips, tutorials you recommend, or even criticisms of my approach. Let’s build a collaborative space where we learn together and push our CAD skills to the next level!